Olga and her mother lived together in a flat near a lake. Olga’s mother was old but she was quite independent and could still move about without much difficulty. She would wake up before Olga and prepare breakfast for both of them. Often she would make oat porridge; other times she would make an omelette, served with soya sauce.

Later in the morning, after Olga had gone to work, her mother would walk slowly to the market and buy vegetables. Then she would walk slowly back, stopping occasionally for a rest and a chat with old friends. Olga herself would buy the heavy things like rice, oil, sugar and oats.

Olga was concerned for her mother because she was getting obviously weaker. Although her mother did not complain, Olga could observe the difference. Her mother bravely carried on and told Olga not to worry about her.

Olga was an obstetrician at the hospital. She had applied for a promotion. Actually, this was not the first time she had applied for a senior position, but she always seemed to face a lot of obstacles.

Life was not easy for Olga. She faced the day-to-day stress of work. In addition, since the hospital was short of staff, she had to do extra work. And then, she had to keep up-to-date with the latest medical knowledge, to keep her own knowledge from becoming obsolete.

One evening, Olga’s mother complained of difficulty in breathing. It was so bad that she was unable do anything except lie weakly on the sofa. It seemed to Olga that her breathing was obstructed by something in her throat.

In the morning, it had not improved. So when Olga suggested that she see the doctor, her mother did not object. She obediently followed her daughter’s orders and followed her out to the road where they hailed a taxi.

The doctor examined the old lady and agreed that there was an obstruction in her throat. She was asked to go to hospital. At the hospital, the specialist found that there was some swelling in the throat.

The doctor gave her some medicine. He asked that she stay overnight, for observation, but neither Olga nor her mother felt that it was necessary.

Olga’s mother felt quite better that evening and was even strong enough to make a special evening meal of roast duck.